In the late summer of 2014, a domestic tragedy unfolded in Pleasant Grove, Alabama, ending the life of 29-year-old Antwaunete Jackson-Samuels. On the evening of September 6th, a distressing 911 call was made by Jackson-Samuels, reporting that she had been shot in her head and stomach. She was in her yard with her two-year-old child when the line went silent.
Emergency services arrived to a grim scene. Antwaunete was found grievously wounded and was rushed to the hospital, but she was pronounced dead shortly after her arrival. Her two-year-old child was taken into protective custody. The incident, which began as a violent assault, culminated in a two-hour standoff with the perpetrator, Kenyatta Samuels, who was later found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The tragic event was classified as a murder-suicide.
Further investigation revealed a history of domestic turbulence. Police had been called to the same residence a year prior for a domestic dispute, although no arrests were made at that time. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that Antwaunete Jackson-Samuels was in the early stages of pregnancy at the time of her death, a detail that added another layer of sorrow to the senseless loss of life. Funeral services for Antwaunete were held on September 13, 2014, at the Emmanuel Temple Church of God in Christ, with her burial at Highland Memorial Gardens.
